Iditarod Dog Saved With Mouth-To-Snout CPR

Sled Dog Rescued By ‘Mushing Mortician’

An Iditarod sled dog, who collapsed navigating a steep section of Alaska’s Dalzell Gorge, was saved by his racer-owner thanks to some mouth-to-snout CPR.

Scott “Mushing Mortician” Janssen, 51, told the Anchorage Daily News that the 9-year-old husky, named Marshall, was pulling hard at the sled and then fell to the ground.

“I know what death looks like, and he was gone. Nobody home,” the Anchorage funeral home owner told the newspaper.

According to the publication, Janssen saw that the husky stopped breathing, so he started CPR by putting his mouth over the dog’s snout, breathing air into his lungs and compressing his chest.

“I’m like ‘C’mon dude, please come back.’ And he did,” Janssen said.

Janssen told the newspaper that Marshall was carried in the sled for the next 32 miles until the team reached the Rohn checkpoint. He was treated by a veterinarian, given an IV and was prepped to be flown back to Anchorage.

“He’s doing just fine. He’s still at the checkpoint, and they’re flying him back home today,” Janssen said.

According to the Anchorage Daily, Janssen is running in only his second Iditarod after placing 42 out of 47 finishers in 2011.

Janssen said Marshall is likely one of his oldest sled dogs and has finished about six Iditarods — mainly with another musher.

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POSTED: 9:31 am CST March 8, 2012  –  UPDATED: 10:00 am CST March 8, 2012  –  Source: KETV.com

The Iditarod is the granddaddy of American animal races.

There are two separate major races/events on the Iditarod trial; is the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.  The other is the Iron Dog Snow Mobile race on the Iditarod Trail.  There is also a Junior Iditarod.  Iditarod | Last Great Race on Earth® – The Official Site of the …

Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd Palin, is an Iditarod champion. He first competed in The Iron Dog race, a race along the Iditarod Trail from Big Lake to Nome and then back to Fairbanks in 1993 and has been a champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times. His racing co-pilot is Scott Davis. Todd Palin is competing again in the 2012 race at the end end of February.  This year the Iron Dog was won by the McKenna and VanMeter team.

The Palins do, however, run a mix of lead and team dogs.

Related:

10 Great and Funny American Animal Races